Month: June 2021

Dozens of homes in northern Illinois were evacuated Monday after A massive fire destroyed a chemical plant in northern Illinois on Monday forcing dozens of evacuations and producing smoke so thick that it could be seen for miles. Fire officials in Rockton, Ill., issued a mandatory evacuation order affecting about 150 homes near a Lubrizol Corp., facility in the town of about 7,600 along the Wisconsin border 100 miles northwest of Chicago.

The evacuation was ordered moments after first responders arrived at the scene at 7 a.m. to find the Chemtool facility completely consumed by flames as a thick, black plume of smoke spread hundreds of feet overhead. About 70 plant employees were safely evacuated from the facility while one firefighter sustained minor injuries. According to Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson:  “The fire was through the roof when we arrived, and the cause remains unknown at this point. Everything is still under investigation.” There was no danger to people at ground level from contaminants, the chief added.

Emergency officials are opting to let the fire burn out rather than douse it with water because of possible contamination from the runoff reaching the nearby Rock River.

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President Joe Biden took part in an Inspection of the Guard Honor before he and first lady Jill Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in England on Sunday.  President and Mrs. Biden joined the queen to watch a military march and traveled to her apartment for tea.

Biden said the Queen was “extremely gracious” as the two met, adding, “she was very generous. I don’t think she’d be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity.”  Biden said the Queen also asked him about Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he is set to meet in Switzerland following a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Brussels, and asked him what the White House was like.  Biden told reporters: I said, this is … we could fit the White House in the courtyard,” before confirming he had invited the queen to the White House.

The White House said Biden will also meet King Philippe of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo while in Brussels this week.  He will also hold a summit with Putin on Wednesday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the two will discuss a range of “pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability in the U.S.-Russia relationship.”

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President Joe Biden took part in an Inspection of the Guard Honor before he and first lady Jill Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in England on Sunday.  President and Mrs. Biden joined the queen to watch a military march and traveled to her apartment for tea.

Biden said the Queen was “extremely gracious” as the two met, adding, “she was very generous. I don’t think she’d be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity.”  Biden said the Queen also asked him about Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he is set to meet in Switzerland following a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Brussels, and asked him what the White House was like.  Biden told reporters: I said, this is … we could fit the White House in the courtyard,” before confirming he had invited the queen to the White House.

The White House said Biden will also meet King Philippe of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo while in Brussels this week.  He will also hold a summit with Putin on Wednesday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the two will discuss a range of “pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability in the U.S.-Russia relationship.”

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On Sunday, Israel’s parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of 71-year-old Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Naftali Bennett, who was a former ally of Netanyahu but turned his rival, became prime minister after the 60-59 vote. Bennett, who promised to try to heal a divided nation, will preside over a diverse coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences.

Netanyahu made clear he has no intention of exiting the political stage. “If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country,” he said.   Netanyahu has become a polarizing and autocratic leader who used divide-and-rule tactics to aggravate the many rifts in Israeli society. Those include tensions between Jews and Arabs, and within the Jewish majority between his religious and nationalist base and his more secular and dovish opponents.

President Joe Biden congratulated the new government, saying:“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations.”  Biden said his administration is fully committed to working with the new government “to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.”

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On Sunday, Israel’s parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of 71-year-old Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Naftali Bennett, who was a former ally of Netanyahu but turned his rival, became prime minister after the 60-59 vote. Bennett, who promised to try to heal a divided nation, will preside over a diverse coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences.

Netanyahu made clear he has no intention of exiting the political stage. “If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country,” he said.   Netanyahu has become a polarizing and autocratic leader who used divide-and-rule tactics to aggravate the many rifts in Israeli society. Those include tensions between Jews and Arabs, and within the Jewish majority between his religious and nationalist base and his more secular and dovish opponents.

President Joe Biden congratulated the new government, saying:“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations.”  Biden said his administration is fully committed to working with the new government “to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.”

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